


(They said) Nothing about Us Matches

by sea0fseren1ty



Category: Kalyeserye (TV), Real Person Fiction
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, F/M, Kalyeserye AU, Scientist!Alden, Superstar!Maine, inspired by Full House (kdrama)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-11
Updated: 2017-02-11
Packaged: 2018-09-23 10:27:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9651875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sea0fseren1ty/pseuds/sea0fseren1ty
Summary: Heiress-turned phenomenal star Maine Mendoza has successfully kept her personal life away from the limelight.  However, a comment from a friend and a harmless were blown out of proportion and stirred the curiosity of the public. When someone publishes her address and fans started following her more aggressively, she knew she had to do something to regain her privacy. Her manager’s suggestion: move somewhere close to the location of her TV show.Richard Faulkerson Jr. was on his way to a successful career as a researcher abroad until circumstances forced him to return home. He had a plan though. Find a position at the local university until he can return to his old post. When things started going well he suddenly found himself (temporarily) evicted from his home due to his sister’s desperate scheme.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Sometime last year, maichard21 on Twitter posted a fanvid. Her accompanying tweet read, "If Maichard starred in a 'Full House' Koreanovela remake with their roles switched."
> 
> This is inspired by that prompt. It's not a straight-up adaptation of the drama. I also don't work in the entertainment industry nor am I a scientist. 
> 
> Title is from the English translation of the theme song of Full House, "I Think I". You can find a vid + translations [here](http://kreah-craze.com/i-think-i-lyrics-full-house-ost/).
> 
> Disclaimer: Full House is owned by KBS. I'm just borrowing some aspects of their show.
> 
> This is a work of fiction.

> **_Phenomenal star, the ‘other woman’?_ **
> 
> Posted By: ShowBizObserver15
> 
>  
> 
> _Everyone is talking about the current scandal surrounding model turned phenomenal star Maine Mendoza._
> 
> _Three years ago, she reluctantly agreed to stand-in for another star in a commercial for an insurance company (that her family owned, as we later learned). Since then she has charmed her way to the hearts of the public in a slew of endorsements, magazine covers and runway shows. She also has a couple of hit movies and top-rating TV shows under her belt._
> 
> _Her fans would all say that she’s perfect. And from all the stories we’ve heard through these years, that description is accurate. She’s gracious to her fans and will always agree to a selfie or two. Her co-workers say she’s down-to-earth, respectful towards veteran actors, works well with children, supportive of her co-stars and a professional._
> 
>   _While you can find a thousand and one pictures of her at work, her private life remained well, private (and in this world of social media that is an astonishing thing). Yes, we all know that she’s an honest-to-God heiress, the only daughter of tycoon Teodoro Mendoza. We also know she has a dog and that she went to boarding school. But that’s it. She’s tight-lipped about everything else and her management has not allowed the press to ask her questions about her life behind the spotlight._
> 
>   _She has her own share of bashers and detractors that insist that she is hiding something. They kept on digging and they had always come up empty. Until six days ago._
> 
>   _She never talked about having a relationship so it was shocking to find out that she’s the third party that caused Daniel Alejandro, the only son of food and beverage mogul Alejandro Garcia to break his engagement to Ana Sanchez, his girlfriend of 5 years. Pictures of the two having an intimate dinner together during Maine’s trip to Europe two months ago surfaced after Daniel’s confirmation of the breakup a week ago. Was that dinner the start of something, MORE? Speculations are running wild._
> 
> _Daniel remained tight-lipped on the reason when he confirmed it to the press but Ana, through social media implied that there is a third party involved._
> 
> _While Maine and Daniel move in the same social circles, they haven’t been photographed together at events. However, reliable sources have confirmed that the two have known each other for a long time. She was even Daniel’s date during his high school prom! Does that mean the two dated? And this was just the case of Daniel going back to his first love or was it a case of seduction?_
> 
> _Right now, neither Daniel nor Maine is talking to the press regarding the pictures._
> 
> _One thing’s for certain though, if Maine won’t speak about the issue then her image will start to go down the drain. I wouldn’t want to be in the shoes of her management team right now…_ _Then there’s this tip from another reliable source that that’s not the only relationship she is hiding..._

****

 

“Aaarrgghh. I can’t believe it! How could they make a scandal out of a simple picture!” Maine Mendoza asked out loud. She was torturing herself by combing through all the gossip sites.

Who would have thought that that harmless meet-up would cause these problems? _I don’t really understand what’s the fuss about those pictures. Are people that desperate to know about my private life?_

 Since the pictures were leaked, her management had canceled all of her live appearances. She looked at her watch. _Pat, Vic and Jack should be here soon. I know they would like to talk about how we are going to handle this but I’m more interested in knowing when will this house arrest end. I’m bored. All I do is crunch numbers for Tatay. And those are not challenging at all._

 She started reading her social media notifications when someone knocked at her door. “Maine? Pat, Vic and Jack are here. They told me they will be waiting in the dining room.”

 “Thanks, Manang. I’ll be there in a sec.”

 She sighed. _Here we go._

 ****

She found Jack Enriquez , her main manager, Victoria Suarez, her handler and Patricia David, her cousin turned assistant sitting in the dining room. Jack has already opened his laptop while Victoria and Patricia were tinkering with their phone. There were also some papers scattered around the table. When Jack saw her, he just gestured for her to take a seat and began the briefing.

“Alright Maine. Here’s the situation. Most of your fans are on your side. A lot of them believe that these pictures are harmless. These fans also think that you don’t owe anyone any explanation. Then there’s a group who believed in the rumors and are demanding for your statement. They are also trying to prove that the rumor’s true by digging through your official social media accounts and the social media accounts of everyone connected to you. My notifications have exploded. From what I can tell, they are a small group but they are loud and annoying. This group is currently engaged in a social media war with your other fans. I suggest you don’t check, the vitriol is unbelievable.”

“Too late. I already saw some of that.”

“Maine! We told you to stop lurking around social media. For someone who prefers to not post unnecessary things on the Internet, you sure can’t keep your fingers from Googling yourself and stalking all your fan pages.” Patricia admonished.

“Pat, you know she’s stubborn. Now, going back to the status of the issue. The pictures are not damaging and the revelation that you were once Daniel’s date is nothing. Your sponsors are in a ‘wait and see’ mode since they can’t find anything that violates your contracts. Your producers are taking the same stand.” Jack continued. “However, the network is worried that if this goes on, then something incriminating might come up and your sponsors and producers might decide to drop you. Right now, neither parties involved are issuing statements…”

“That’s because there is no statement to issue. We just accidentally bumped into each other and decided to catch up. I’ve known him since I was a kid. Yes, I was his date to his prom but that was because his date bailed out on him. ” Maine insisted.

“Okay. But Maine, tell us what happened at that dinner. Spare no details.” Jack ordered.

“Why?”

“The network thinks you should issue that statement. Now, tell us the details so I can see how we are going to spin these events. As I’ve said the pictures are not scandalous. However, the succeeding turn of events made people suspicious.” Vic explained.

“Daniel answering that reporter’s question. And Ana’s cryptic tweets and status updates. That started it.” Pat muttered.

“Daniel confirming the breakup caused the owner of the photo to leak it, but is there someone who helped them jump into the conclusion that Maine is the ‘third party’ that caused the breakup?  Maine’s probably not the only woman seen in Daniel’s company these last two months.”

“You’ll be surprised…” Maine said, under her breath.

“Are you saying something, Maine?”

“Nothing, Pat. I was just going to say that nothing surprising happened at that dinner. It was just two old friends catching up. I haven’t seen Daniel in social functions in months so I asked him about his most recent activities.”

“Did he mention Ana?” Jack asked.

“Well, yes but I didn’t pry him for details. After dinner, he hugged me and bussed my cheek then we parted ways. I haven’t talked to him since then.”

“And you did not see who took that photo?” Maine shook her head no.

Jack closed his laptop. “Alright. Looks like we are going for the ‘we’re just friends’ route. We’ll just run this statement with the network and have it distributed to the press. Then I’ll call Ice from the PR department of the Garcia Group of Companies so they can also release their own statement.” He began to gather his notes.

Pat looked at Jack in awe. “Wait, you’ve already talked to Ice? And you’ve worked together for a statement?”

Vic nodded. “Of course. You know Jack, Pat. This is nothing.”

Jack shrugged. “Ice and I would have issued the statements even without your story, Maine but the network insisted. I have to go. Pat here has your schedule and Vic will go through the revised security measures we have to implement. Once we release this, we might be able to continue with your activities. Remember, you have that commercial shoot.”

Jack gave Pat, Vic and Maine a kiss on their cheeks and left the three to discuss Maine’s upcoming schedule. Once they are done, Vic also took his leave.

“How was Tito Ted, Maine? What was his reaction?”

Teodoro Mendoza has been largely supportive of her daughter’s career though he had insisted on certain conditions before he let his daughter become an actress. Her management team is one. When the network offered her a contract, her father insisted that she be managed by “one of my own people”. Jack was recruited from the public relations department of one of their subsidiaries. The second condition was that his daughter’s privacy should be protected.

“He, believe it or not, laughed it off. He said it must have been a slow day in showbiz if this is what passes as ‘scandal’ today.”

“And here I thought he would fire all of us because we failed on preventing a scandal from happening.”

“Don’t tell Jack this but Tatay is pretty reasonable. He once told me that he didn’t expect the private life blackout to work and he had steeled himself to seeing paparazzi photos of me at the mall or at the gym or even outside the restroom of a restaurant.”

“Whew. Still, we don’t want to get on the bad side of your father. My own mom had told us stories about her terror cousin.”

 

***

**_‘Just friends’?_ **

Posted By: ShowBizObserver15

  _After a week of speculation, Maine Mendoza’s camp released a statement clarifying the photos. This was followed by a statement from Daniel Alejandro. Both statements say the same thing. The meeting between Maine Mendoza and Daniel Alejandro was coincidental and the dinner was spur of the moment. The statement mentioned that Mendoza and Alejandro have a long history together as a consequence of being children of business moguls. Mendoza’s camp also said that she was unaware that Daniel was having some relationship problems until the breakup announcement._

_Now, the statement seems to be the classic, “We are just friends” statement. And while some of the furor has died down, there are many who are still wondering why it took a week before the statement. Then there was the announcement that neither party will entertain any questions on the issue. Are they trying to hide something?_

_Mendoza is scheduled to fly to Tokyo for a commercial shoot at the end of the week. Will the press manage to get an outright answer from her then?_

 

_***_

“Looks like Jack leaking your flight schedule worked.” Pat said, looking over at Maine’s shoulder and towards the opened blog site. They were taking a break from doing some last minute packing for Maine’s flight to Tokyo tomorrow morning.

“Jack is scary. Especially in times of crisis.” Pat continued. “Now, let’s go over the schedule again. You flight’s leaving at 5:20 am tomorrow. If there are no delays, you will arrive at Narita at 10:35 am. Your traveling incognito so no one’s picking you up from the airport…”

“Don’t worry, Pat. I got this. I’ve been there before.” Maine gave her hand-carry luggage a final check before closing and locking it.

“Just remember, the granddaughter of the owner of the apartment will meet you at Nippori Station. She’s going to give you the keys to the place and give you directions to get there...”

“Yes. I have her contact number. I’ll send here a message once I’m at the airport. I’ll be by myself for 4 days and then I’ll meet you guys next Monday at Shiodome station.” Maine finished reciting her itinerary.

“One last thing, stay away from any camera-wielding fan.”

“Relax. Nothing will happen.”

  
****

 Riza Faulkerson did not have a good day. First, her latest thesis consultation with Professor Guerrero did not end well. Her professor wanted her to revise her data analysis chapter because her professor believed that she still needs more data to support her conclusion. She believed otherwise and ended up uselessly arguing with her professor for 30 additional minutes. And because the consultation ran late, she had to skip lunch in order to reach the venue of the training program Rivera Apparel Manufacturing is giving their interns on time. After the training, she got stuck in traffic and got back to her dormitory at 9 pm.   

 _And it looks like Murphy’s Law is still in effect._ Riza thought as she stared at her cost analysis for her final project - a fashion show that will showcase her brand. She needed to get full marks if she wanted to graduate top of her class. While designing clothes is her passion, she is also interested in the whole production process. Riza dreamed of becoming a retail magnate. And she believed she can achieve that dream by impressing the heads of the retail industry during the fashion show for graduating students. She looked at her spreadsheet again.

_I already used my credit card to pay for the initial cost of making the collection. Then my monthly allowance would cover materials I need for promotions. But I think I should talk to the rest of my class about the budget for the show itself. We would need more sponsors._

“Hey Riza! Did you see the news? Maine Mendoza and Daniel Alejandro!”

Riza looked up from her laptop to see her roommate, Kat San Diego. She was carrying a grocery bag with one hand and clutching her phone with the other hand. “Huh?”

Kat dropped the bag on her desk and walked over to Riza’s side of the room to show Riza her phone. “See? The photos have gone viral. And she is trending on Twitter.”

The first photo showed Maine Mendoza sharing a meal with Daniel Alejandro in what looked like a hip restaurant. Maine’s head was slightly bowed. She looked like she was trying to listen to what Daniel was saying. The second photo was taken in front of the restaurant. They had their arms around each other.

“So?” Riza asked.

“This is big, Riza! First, this is the first time, a paparazzi caught her. Her official social media accounts only contain pictures of her shoots and official events. No candid family photos. No photos of private trips with friends. No mention of a boyfriend. We don’t even know what her dog looks like!” Kat started to explain.

“She’s a private person.”

“Exactly! So getting caught by a paparazzi eating dinner is a big deal. Add the fact that she’s seen having dinner with a man…”

“So they think Daniel is her boyfriend? That’s assuming too much.”

Kat then launched into a detailed explanation of how rumors work and their effects to a celebrity’s reputation and popularity. Kat is a communications student currently interning at a TV production company. Her family has been working on television and film for three generations now. Her analysis is usually on point.

“By the way, are you going home to Laguna this weekend? Cristina and Belle are planning a weekend beach trip to Batangas. Come with us?”

“I can’t, Kat. I’m taking a rain check on all _barkada_ trips for the next three months. I can’t afford them.”

Kat sat next to Riza. “Why? what’s wrong?” Riza showed her spreadsheet and explained her problem.

“Riza, how did you manage to have that much of a deficit? Didn’t you tell me that you want to create a local clothing line that’s trendy but affordable?”

“I had to use part of my budget to pay for the trip to Singapore that I had to make for my internship. The company only covered my airfare. Then one of my suppliers had a crisis. The company backed out and their recommended replacement is charging twice the amount. They knew I’m desperate.”

“What about asking your brother for help?”

“No! I want to exhaust all my options before asking Kuya. He has his own set of problems. So, if you hear about a possible sponsor or a job prospect, tell me. ”

 

****

“Riza! Over here!” Kat called, getting her attention. She was with Cristina Arcilla and Belle Cruz. Riza and Kat met the other two during Freshmen Orientation and discovered that they have a lot of things in common. They’ve been friends since then.

“Hello.” Riza listlessly said, slumping next to Belle.

“Long day?”

She nodded. She was able to talk to her batchmates about getting more sponsors for their show but she is still in need of money to pay her suppliers. With no part-time job prospects, she would have to talk to her brother about a loan. And she is not looking forward to that conversation.

“Well, Riza we hope this news will cheer you up. Kat?” Christina prompted. Riza looked at her room mate.

“According to the rumor mill, ACD Productions is developing a new show and they are looking for a house to film in for the next three months. They want the house to be located somewhere in a province that’s secluded enough in order to ensure the confidentiality of the shoot. They want a house with history but they want something that hasn’t been featured on any television show before. An orchard or a farm is also a good addition. --”

“And you my dear friend, has --.” Cris continued.

“Oh.”

  
****

“Kuya? Are you awake? Are you decent?” Riza knocked on his brother’s door. She didn’t receive any answer.

“I’m going in.”

Riza opened the door and saw her older brother, Richard, seated at his desk with his headphones on. He seemed to be staring at his computer. She went in and poked her brother. Richard jumped on his seat and turned around. He then removed his headphones.

“Riza!”

“Sorry, Kuya,” she apologized halfheartedly.  “What are you reading? It must be something riveting if you didn’t notice me coming in.” She glanced at the computer screen. She saw words like _climate change_ , _radiation effect_ , _leaf carbon assimilation_ _._ “Reading journals again?”

“Just taking note of potential reading materials for Dr. Isidro’s class. I have to talk to him on Wednesday about my possible stint as his TA.” Richard turned back to his desk and wrote something on his notebook that was lying next to the computer.

Riza sat on his brother’s bed. “Didn’t you say that the university is still investigating? So, there is a chance that you’ll go back to Todai, right?”

Up until two months ago, Richard Faulkerson, Jr was working as a postdoc researcher at the University of Tokyo. He just finished his doctoral degree when his adviser asked him if he wanted to join the university’s new research unit that has been making waves in the scientific community for their breakthrough findings on enzymes. The unit was headed by Dr. Yamaguchi, one of the country’s most respected scientist. He jumped at the chance to start his academic career and work with researchers from different disciplines. Things have been going well until the scandal that resulted to the dismissal of his lab supervisor and the suspension of his entire research group pending the result of an academic investigation.

“Well, I would just like to be prepared. My doctoral degree might get nullified. If that happens, not only is my academic record damaged but I also have to repay the Ishikawa Foundation for my studies. And we both know we can’t afford that.”

After writing a few more notations, Richard closed the page that he was reading and turned his computer off. He then faced his sister again. “So, what’s up?”

Riza handed her brother an envelope. “For you. Birthday present.”

“Huh? You already gave me a present for my birthday.”

“Fine. Christmas then.”

“This is an extremely early Christmas present.” Richard muttered while opening the envelope. “Why are you giving me a plane ticket?” He looked at the details. “To Tokyo?”

“As I said, present. You are going to that symposium at Riken, right? I overheard your conversation last week.”

“But I told Matsumoto-sensei that I will think about it.” Richard protested.

“You want to go. I can hear it in your voice. Plus, I asked Manang Emmy and she said you actually went to Manila for your visa application last Tuesday. By the way, kuya, why didn’t you tell me that you were in Manila? We could have had lunch or something.”

“I know you are busy with your internship and thesis so I didn’t bother. Besides, the traffic was horrible. It took four hours to get back home. Still, your story doesn’t fully explain why you went ahead and bought me a ticket. I am still thinking about it.”

“Don’t think about it. Just go. As you can see, you already have a ticket.”

“But why did you?  What do you want in exchange for the ticket?”

“Can’t I just be a really nice little sister who bought her favorite big brother a ticket out of her own savings?”

“Not really, no. And I’m your only brother. Did you fail on one of your subjects so you are not graduating this term and this is a bribe to spare you the lecture?” Richard gave her sister his “big-brother-knows-what-you-are-up-to” stare.

“No! My grades are fine! I only need to finish the final fashion show and my internship. After that, I’m done.”

Richard then raised his eyebrow. Riza just gave him a smile. “I just want to give you a gift. Promise.”

Richard is still skeptical, but he decided to give his sister the benefit of the doubt. He nodded. “Okay. Thank you for the ticket.” He then gave her a hug.

“Kuya, I just want you to stop thinking about your career. It will sort itself out. We’ve always managed, right? So, take a break after the symposium. Please?”

“Fine. I will. Did you know that you are my favorite sister too?”

“Ha! And I’m you’re only sister. Now, before we get too cheesy, I also came here to tell you that brunch is ready.”

“Alright. Let’s go have brunch.”

 _Phase 1 is a success._ Riza thought trying not to smile.

 

****

Jack’s plan went without a hitch and Maine was able to check-in to her red eye flight to Tokyo and passed through immigration without anyone recognizing her. It helped that she was wearing her “comfy clothes” - loose plaid flannel shirt that’s two sizes too big, straight-cut jeans, and sneakers. Her face was bare of any makeup though her eyes were covered by a pair thick-rimmed spectacles. She then sat at the farthest corner of the designated waiting area, put on her baseball cap, pulled it low and pretended to sleep while observing her fellow passengers. Most are sleeping while some are focused on their phones.

One hour later, her flight was finally called for boarding. She got up when her row number was called and joined the queue. The staff at the gate did a double take after getting her boarding pass. She just winked and smiled. The flight attendants kept their composure. One of them offered to help her carry her case but she told her that she can manage.  She looked at her boarding pass to check her seat number. “I hope I don’t have a seatmate,” she said under her breath after noticing just how narrow the seats of a low-cost aircraft are.

When Maine reached row 24, someone was already sitting on the aisle seat, rummaging through his bag. She stood next to the man and just as she was about to clear her throat, the man looked up and met her eyes.

 

****

Richard was looking for a pen when he noticed someone standing next to his seat. He found himself staring at woman in an oversized shirt and a baseball cap. He couldn’t really see her eyes but he could see that she was about to speak. He assumed she was going to sit either on the middle or the window seat so he dropped the pen back in his bag and stood up. He also noticed she was carrying a yellow carry-on luggage.

“Let me help you with that,” he said, offering his hand to take her suitcase. She said a quiet “thanks”, handed him her suitcase and went to sit. He placed the luggage inside the overhead compartment.

The woman was sitting next to the window. She has removed her baseball cap but put on a pair of headphones. He wanted to stare at the woman’s profile because he thought that there was something familiar about her. However, he knew that that was not a good move. No one wants to be stared at by a stranger. She might mistake him for a stalker or a pervert. So, he got his phone out and started playing a game.

Fifteen minutes later, the plane started to taxi along the runway and the cabin crew performed their pre-flight departure checks. He closed his eyes and remembered the confession his sister said before he checked in.

 

_“Kuya, use this ticket and boarding pass to check in, “ Riza said, handing him two sheets of paper. Richard took them._

_“Why? What’s wrong with --” he said, reading the flight information. “Wait? Three weeks? You rebooked my flight?”_

_“Kuya, this is your original flight. The first print-out is a fake.”_

_“What?”_

_“Hear me out, Kuya. I want you to take a vacation. You deserve a vacation. So, I when I heard about the symposium, I decided that I would buy your ticket so that I can ensure that you get the extra time to relax and play tourist._

_You’re a workaholic, Kuya. Sure, you brooded for about a month when you lost your research position but after that, you threw yourself back to regaining your academic reputation. I deliberately lied to you about your ticket because I know you will call the airline to rebook if you knew. This way, you don’t have any choice.”_

_“And the accommodations? I can’t use our savings for a long vacation to Tokyo! What if there’s another emergency?”_

_“Kuya, I talked to your friends there. They have your vacation covered.”_

Richard sighed. _And of course, since I am a sucker for my sister’s puppy dog eyes, I am now here on the plane heading for a “vacation” to Tokyo._

 

He tried to think about the reasons why his sister would buy him ticket for a month-long stay in Tokyo. Fifteen minutes later, his musings were interrupted by a flight attendant asking him if he wanted to buy anything from the drinks trolley. He declined.

He remembered that someone was sitting to his right after the flight attendants moved on to the next rows. He looked and saw her fast asleep with her face turned to his side. Her glasses were a little skewed and her mouth was a little open. He smiled. She looked adorable. He decided to get some shut-eye too.

He woke up to a painful crick on his neck. He rotated his head to ease the pain a little and then looked at his watch. They were just two and a half hours in. He also looked at his seatmate. She’s still fast asleep. He got his laptop and opened it. He started reading the brief for the symposium.

 

“Aw! Are all low-cost airline seats this uncomfortable?”

Richard turned to the woman. She was also holding his neck and grimacing. He decided to answer her (in his opinion)rhetorical question.

“In general, yes. That’s why most people bring pillows when they take an LCC flight.”

“Well, no one told me that. I mean, in theory, I know service gets sacrificed when it comes to LCCs but these chairs are really uncomfortable. And I can’t imagine a 6 foot tall man sitting in these seats. They don’t have much legroom.”

Richard looked at his legs. He stands a couple of inches below 6 feet and he has first-hand knowledge of how difficult it is. On long-haul flights, he has to stand to stretch his legs every few hours.

"Hey, did they already offer food and drinks? I’m starving.”

“Yes, but I think you can still get something.”

She pushed the service button and asked for some instant noodles, assorted junk food, cookies and a bottle of water from the flight attendant who answered her bell.

A few minutes later, the same flight attendant returned with her food. She paid and then proceeded to arrange everything on her tray before eating.

Richard noticed that she ate as if she hasn’t eaten in days. She was eating quickly, too quickly. He wanted to tell her to eat slower. Eating that much that fast could cause an upset stomach (he should know, he has suffered a few of them). Once she finished her noodles, she pressed the service bell again and bought another cup of noodles. He gave her an incredulous look. She must have noticed it because she said, “I’m hungry, okay?”

Richard shook his head. “You might want to slow down, miss. I’m sure you won’t forgive yourself if your stomach decides to protest. Plane toilets are not that comfortable.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be fine. I have an iron stomach”

Richard was sure the universe wanted to mock the woman’s last words when, half an hour later, the lights for seat belts were switched on and the captain announced that they were encountering some moderate turbulence. A few minutes later, he felt some mild unexpected motions. He again turned to his right to check on the woman. She was taking several deep breaths.

“I’m still okay.” That statement was followed by another jolt. “Or not.”

Richard checked for an airsickness bag. He found one inside the pocket of his seat. He gave it to the woman who was still trying to fight off the nausea. She clutched the bag on one hand. Her other hand was tightly gripping her armrest. She started to look pale.

Richard thought he should help the woman. After all, if she threw up, he will be affected too. “Miss, look at me. Let’s breathe together, okay?”

She nodded.

“Here we go, in…” Richard took a breath. “And slowly, out.”

She followed Richard’s instructions and they did a couple of breathing exercises. They did not feel any more bumps for the next several minutes so she started to regain her color. She also loosened her hold on her armrest and started to relax.

“I think I’ll be okay now. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. Do you usually get airsick?”

“Not usually. But then, I usually travel first class.”

“Ah.”

“What does your ‘ah’ mean?”

Richard tried to look innocent. “Nothing.”

“That is not ‘nothing’.” She crossed her arms in front of her chest.

“Fine. It explains things.”

She stared at him. “I actually don’t like the direction of your thoughts.”

“Where exactly are my thoughts going?”

“You’re forming an impression of me based on what I said. I am not a snob.”

“But you can afford first class tickets, so you are used to travelling in style. That means, you’re rich.”

“What if I am? And now that I’m travelling by LCC? Does that mean I’m not rich anymore?”

“No. It only means that you finally realized that this is a practical way to travel. Plus, you can use the money you saved on plane tickets for other things.”

“Oh.”

“See. You’re wrong. You did not know what I was thinking.” Richard smirked. The woman looked a little irritated. She turned to the window and ignored him for the rest of the flight.

A couple of hours later, the captain announced that the plane is ready for landing. Unfortunately the descent and the landing were a little bumpy. Once the landing gear kicked in, Richard glanced at his seat mate. She again had her eyes closed and was breathing through her mouth. He unbuckled his seatbelt and raised his right armrest so he could scoot towards her. He touched her hand to get her attention.

“Can you hear that? The attendants just announced that we can get off the plane shortly. It’s over. We’re here. ” She opened her eyes and looked at him. She was still breathing harshly.

 _Her eyes are dark brown…_ Richard observed. Any other observations were forgotten when she suddenly lurched towards him and lost the contents of her breakfast.


End file.
